「Oi, Christina!! Is it true that Flora has returned! ? 」


  Hiroaki asked after barging into the office without knocking. Inside, Flora and Celia twitched in hearing that voice. On the other hand――,

  「………. Be quiet, hero-sama. 」


  Heaving a sigh, Christina replied to Hiroaki.

  「Rather than that………… FLORA! Thank god you’ve returned safely. 」


  After looking around and finding Flora sitting next to Christana, Hiroaki entered into the office without minding his manners.

  「T-thank you very much, Hiroaki-sama………….. 」


  Flora expressed her gratitude in a trembling voice.

  「F-Flora-sama…O goodness, thank god you’re safe and sound. 」


  Upon seeing Flora’s figure, Roana also entered the room overcome with emotion……

  「It’s been a while, Roana. 」


  Flora smiled happily as she replied to Roana.

  「Yeah, then, just what in the world happened? 」


  Hiroaki immediately asked for an explanation.

  「Short answer is, Amakawa-dono escorted the stranded Flora…… 」


  Looking at Rio, Christina frankly told Hiroaki the gist of the situation.

  「……… What? 」


  Hiroaki, who finally noticed Rio’s presence inside the room, squinted his eyes in suspicion.

  「It’s been a while, Hero-sama. 」


  Rio stood up placed his right hand on his left chest, and respectfully bowed to Hiroaki.

  「Ah, you. Yeah, it’s been a while since we met back at the evening party. So………… Though I have yet to hear the story, how did Flora, who was missing due to the magic ship accident, get saved by this guy? 」


  Hiroaki responded to Rio with a slightly apathic tone, and looked at Christina for an explanation.

  「……… Amakawa-dono had just arrived at that part when you came. We have yet to tell anyone else about Flora’s return as we don’t want to cause a commotion, but I made an exception and called hero-sama first before telling anyone else. Do allow me to explain the situation to hero-sama after Amakawa-dono finishes explaining the situation to me. 」


  Christina heaved a sigh even as she spoke to Hiroaki.

  Truthfully she did not want to call him. However, up until just a few moments ago, this man had still been Flora’s fiancee…… As things would become unpleasant if she were to inform him of the situation along with everyone else she decided to call him…


  Furthermore, there was a high possibility that knowing Hiroaki’s personality, he would end up sulking at being left out…… Christina had only known him for a short period of time but she had already understood what sort of a man he was…… and while this understanding made him easy to handle, he could also easily become displeased if not treated as special existence. [ED: Yeah. Very “special”]

  「A~h, I see. I guess I will listen to it as well. Come and sit with us too, Roana. 」


  Hiroaki sat on the unoccupied seat and urged Roana to take a seat.

  「No, how can I……………」


  Maybe because she felt that she wasn’t up for sitting along with everyone in this room, she shook her head to refuse. But――、


  「Don’t worry about it, please sit down Roana. 」


  Christina asked.

  「…………. It’s my honor to receive your invitation. 」


  Roana bowed to Christina and then sat beside Hiroaki. Seeing that, Rio also sat down.

  「Well then, before you explain the situation, don’t you think that it’s about time for you to prepare for your lecture, Celia-sensei? 」


  Christina suddenly asked Celia.

  「Ah, yes. Come to think of it, please take your time then. 」


  Giving a wry smile, Celia nodded as she looked at the clock on the wall.

  「We’re already alright on this side so please prepare for your lecture. 」


  「……Yes. yes, thank you very much for your consideration. 」


  Celia expressed her gratitude when Christina granted her permission to leave for her lecture.

  「Now then, may I ask for Amakawa-dono to stay with us for a while longer? As I feel that there’s no need to prolong our curiosity. 」


  After addressing Celia, Christina turned to Rio, asking for the information he’d promised.

  「Naturally. 」


  Rio readily agreed to her request.

  「Well then, I shall excuse myself for now. 」


  Having said so, Celia stood up and discreetly made eye contact with Rio. The same went for Rio, they both understood the meaning in that short glance. They’d meet again later.

  It was by no means an act of discourtesy, but instead, it showed how close they truly were. Greatly surprised in seeing that scene, Roana looked at Rio and Celia curiously. On the other hand, Hiroaki had an uninterested look on his face, while Flora seemed envious.

  As for Christina, she understood during her journey along with them towards Rodania how close they were.

  「I’ll take Amakawa to sensei’s lecture hall when we are done with the talk here. And in case the lecture ends before our talk, please, feel free to come to my office again. 」


  Keeping their relationship in mind, Christina spoke to Celia as she left the room.

  「Certainly. Well then. 」


  After excusing herself. Celia turned around and left the office. Thus, leaving Rio, Christina, Flora, Hiroaki, Roana, and Vanessa in the office.

  「Then, tell us already. 」


  Hiroaki urged Rio to start his story.

  「Let me go through the story from the beginning as I want to sort out what I heard from Amakawa-dono. Would you be kind enough to point out any faults in my retelling of your story, Amakawa-dono? 」


  Christina asked as she looked at Rio.

  「My pleasure. 」


  Smiling wryly, Rio readily accepted her proposal. It was Christina’s turn to explain the situation to Hiroaki and Roana now.

  In addition to the magic vessel that Flora rode being raided by a Black dragon-like creature, there was also the fact that her ship was raided by Rein, the diplomat of the Proxia empire, and Lucius, a mercenary, the matter of Flora being sent to the Paladia kingdom, and the matter of how she had wandered between life and death when a poisonous spider bite her in the forest.

  After that, despite managing to find a village close to that forest, she left the village as soon as she found out that she was going to be sent to the local noble, but ended up using up her remaining strength. Christina spoke of how Lucius and the first prince of the Paladia kingdom had appeared at that place to take her and of how Haruto had come to save the day. She had yet to speak of the reason for Haruto hunting down Lucius, the enemy of his parents, which Haruto had explained a while ago.

  「………….. I see. So that’s what happened…… It seems that you’re in a great deal of trouble when you leave my side. 」 [TL : HAH? SERIOUSLY!? YOU’RE THE ONE WHO TOLD HER TO GO ALONE!!]

  Saying so, Hiroaki stared Flora down condescendingly.

  「Yes……」


  Flora nodded awkwardly.

  「So, the symptoms of that poisonous spider should have been taken care of, right? 」


  Roana looked anxiously at Flora.

  「Yes. It’s thanks to Haruto-sama’s medicine. There was a black mark on the nape of my neck before, but thanks to Haruto-sama’s medicine, it completely vanished without trace. 」


  Smiling happily, Flora replied as she touched the nape of her neck.

  「…………」


  Hiroaki squinted his eyes when he heard how Flora said Haruto’s name.

  「Thank you very much, Amakawa-dono. 」


  Roana bowed deeply towards Rio.

  「It was nothing. 」


  Rio shook his head as he replied with a cheerful tone.

  「But……….. Wasn’t that a rare antidote?　I mean, it healed Flora who was on the verge of dying from spider poison within such a short amount of time. May I assume that it was a powerful potion? 」


  Christina asked as she looked at Rio’s expression.

  「Well, it’s rare in its own way. But, there’s no substitute for Flora-sama’s life. 」


  Since Rio didn’t want to delve too much into the matter regarding the potion, he chose to go with a safe answer. Such questions were easier to answer compared to questions about how he got such a potion or how to make it.

  「……Thank you very much. I would like to express my gratitude again for saving Flora’s life. 」


  Saying so, Christina bowed towards Rio.

  「Please do not worry about it, it was a mere coincidence after all. Or rather, I actually have another thing that I have to report. 」


  Rio shook his head and told her that there was still something else he had to tell her.

  「What could it be? 」


  Christina asked.

  「We……… Were passing by through the Rubia kingdom on the way of our journey from Paladia to Rodania, when we were ambushed by three people led by Reis, the ambassador of the Proxia kingdom, and also attacked by the royal knights of the Rubia kingdom led by their first princess, Silvi-sama. 」


  First, Rio explained the general situation to her.

  「Princess Silvi………. Of the Rubia kingdom? 」


  Christina was extremely surprised when she heard Rio’s additional report. Roana and Vanessa showed a similar reaction to her.

  「Yes. Though I wasn’t that clear with the situation on Reis’ side, the person himself said that their aim was Flora-sama all along. As for Silvi-sama, it seems that they attacked us without even knowing about Flora-sama’s identity, and more likely were forced to do so by Reis. 」


  Rio nodded as he explained in detail.

  「A~h, Speaking of princess Silvi of the Rubia kingdom, isn’t she the princess knight who we met back at the evening party? 」


  Hiroaki asked Roana who sat beside him.

  「……Yes. Like the Galwark kingdom,they are a kingdom related to our Restoration. 」


  After some hesitation, Roana answered him. Silvi was the first princess of the Rubia kingdom. If she had really attacked Flora who was the symbol of Restoration, things wouldn’t end that calmly.

  「Reis even said that Silvi-sama was the one who led those bandits who attacked Flora-sama into the venue of the Galwark kingdom’s evening party. This is just my speculation, but seeing Silvi-sama’s reaction at that time, I don’t think Reis told everything there was to know….. 」


  Rio told her about his view on the matter.

  「I guess we can’t overlook that. If what you said is true, I guess it’s another international problem. 」


  Christina said with a clouded expression.

  「Onee-sama, Haruto-sama is telling the truth. We were suddenly ambushed, no questions asked, and then surrounded by so many knights. And then……. Haruto-sama fought them back to protect me. 」


  Flora added more information as she felt that Haruto’s story alone would not be enough to convince Christina.

  「Naturally I believe Amakawa-dono’s story. And you. I just……. Can’t fathom princess SIlvi’s intentions. 」


  Smiling wryly, Christina replied to Flora.

  「Y-Yes. 」


  Slightly embarrassed, Flora nodded after hearing her sister’s remark.

  「The matter that I am most concerned about is the fact that it seems Reis holds Estelle-sama, the second princess of Rubia kingdom hostage. 」


  「Hos…tage? Would you be so kind as to elaborate? 」


  Christina’s eyes narrowed as she asked Rio.

  「When me and Flora-sama were walking on the highway, Estelle-sama suddenly appeared in the most unnatural way and asked us to save her. Though the situation is still unclear, as she fainted immediately after which we were suddenly attacked by the knights and Silvi-sama, most likely due to a misunderstanding. And from the conversation between Silvi-sama and Reis a while later……… I assumed that Estelle-sama is held hostage. 」


  Rio said so to support the theory of Estelle’s kidnapping.

  「I see………………」


  Christina muttered with a pensive look on her face.

  「Silvi-sama must have come to that place in an attempt to save Estelle-sama. I am however worried about the youth called Renji…… Apparently is a hero that accompanies Silvi-sama. Reis himself affirmed my suspicion, but, I…… Didn’t have the leeway to hear the rest of their conversation since their reinforcements arrived one after another. 」


  And at this point, Rio revealed Renji’s existence.

  「A………… Hero? 」


  Christina was dumbfounded the moment she heard Rio’s unexpected meeting with the new hero. Hiroaki, Roana, and Vanessa showed the same reaction as her.

  「Yes. Since I basically fought against him and know that he has similar black hair like Hiroaki-sama, I can vouch for this statement. 」


  Nodding at her, Rio looked at Hiroaki.

  「A~h, wait a minute. Even if, for example, we look the same and he came from the same world as me, isn’t a hero supposed to have a Divine Raiment? 」


  He asked.

  「Yes. His was a halberd that can freely manipulate the ice element. And since his movement speed was clearly higher than that of those who strengthened their physical abilities with magic, he might also be using his Divine Raiment to strengthen his physical abilities. Naturally it’s also possible that he was using a demonic sword for that, but Reis himself said that Renji is a “Hero”. 」


  Rio described what was, most likely, Renji’s Divine Raiment.

  「…….. Wait a minute. So you mean to tell me that you were surrounded by the princess’ knights, the royal knights, that guy called Reis and those mercenaries and, on top of that, a hero? 」


  Hiroaki asked as he looked at Rio with doubt.

  「Yes, well it’s not like I fought them all at the same time, they appeared one after another after all. I fought Hero-sama and Silvi-sama at the same time, if that’s what you’re asking. 」


  Nodding at Hiroaki, Rio told him the details of his encounter.

  「Did you, defeat him? 」


  「The situation at that time was simply too confusing for them to calm down and ask for the situation, so I made him faint to prevent him from running loose. 」


  「Absurd…….. It’s almost unbelievable. Was that guy, really a hero? And that princess knight should’ve had a demon sword too right? I don’t think you can win against them by yourself. 」


  Hiroaki said as he shrugged his shoulders.

  「No. Amakawa-dono has a demon sword too. He also defeated Alfred, the strongest knight of our kingdom, who’s also Vanessa’s older brother. I can vouch for his strength. 」


  Christina told Hiroaki about Rio’s strength.

  「………….. Humph. 」


  Unable to accept the truth and irritated by Christina’s remark, which looked like she was protecting Hiroaki, he ended up pouting like a kid.

  「There’s also the other famous names in his story, like the leader of the mercenaries, called Lucius, and the first prince of the Paladia kingdom who are both well known for being brawny warriors. Please think that Amakawa-dono at least has the strength to defeat those two. 」


  Though Christina felt annoyed by Hiroaki’s attitude, she added more information.

  「……… Come to think of it, it seems that you won in a match against Satsuki. Even though you don’t look that powerful, since Christina says so and you also brought Flora back, I’ll acknowledge your strength for now. 」


  Though he didn’t seem to be amused by Christina’s statement, Hiroaki at least conceded that point. He thought that the other hero, being so easily defeated, would tarnish his reputation.

  「My deepest gratitude. Let’s say that I was lucky since the situation at that time was too confusing even for the other party. 」


  Smiling wryly, Rio replied in a humble tone.

  「A~h, you’re right. You’re lucky that the fight was a close range combat. A hero’s true value lies in his vast long range attacks that can wipe the map. He couldn’t use those coz his allies would be caught in his attack. So the only way to defeat a hero might be to bait them into a close combat situation. 」


  Rio’s explanation was more acceptable for Hiroaki, so he readily accepted it. Thereupon, the ever so kind Flora seemingly wanted to say something, but――、


  「………….. Anyway, may I ask what happened next? 」


  Christina cut in as she tried to move the conversation forward and prevent further complications to the situation.

  「Naturally. 」


  Rio readily agreed.

  「Thank you very much. 」


  Feeling relieved, Christina expressed her gratitude to Rio.

  「A~h, I will leave this matter to Christina since things seem to have gotten too difficult to understand, say Flora, how about we leave for now? I think it won’t be good for you, as royalty, if you keep that appearance. Those clothes got dirty from your travel, so, let’s change to a dress first. You can tell me about your story over a cup of tea. 」


  Hiroaki said, as he looked at Flora’s traveling clothes.

  「……… My apologies, these clothes were chosen, and bought by Haruto-sama, and I, like them. Do these clothes not look good on me? 」


  Clasping on her clothes tightly, Flora asked him about his opinion in a timid voice.

  「…….. He~. Well, it seems you guys became quite close during your journey together huh? How wo~nderful. 」


  Hiroaki seemed to be a little bit surprised, but he raised his eyebrows immediately as he said in a somewhat apathetic tone.

  「In that case, we have to wash it clean and put it away for safekeeping as an important memento. 」


  Roana who couldn’t read the situation said with a bright tone.

  「Roana……… May I ask for your assistance in taking care of Flora while I listen to Amakawa-dono’s story? I mean, we’re going to celebrate Flora’s return with a banquet tonight. The upper echelon aside, I must explain the situation to the other nobles as well. If you meet someone who asks for an explanation, please refuse the request for the time being. 」


  Heaving a sigh, Christina asked for Roana’s assistance.

  「Certainly. This way, Flora-sama, Hiroaki-sama. 」


  Nodding respectfully, she urged Flora and Hiroaki to leave their seats.

  「Yeah. 」


  Hiroaki stood right away. On the other hand――,

  「……………. Well, see you later, Haruto-sama. 」


  Flora said to Rio and stood up reluctantly.

  「Yes. 」


  Rio replied with a somewhat troubled face.

  「………………」


  Hiroaki was looking at Flora’s face in silence. Her eyes were only on Rio, she didn’t even look at Hiroaki. It was the gaze of a maiden who had an unrequited love for a man.

  （……）

  Hiroaki was assailed by an uncomfortable feeling as he looked at Flora who didn’t even register him in her eyes. The name of his feeling was jealousy. And then, an extreme disgust, and rejection in seeing Flora getting closer to a man aside from him.